NBA awards 2019: Giannis Antetokounmpo takes home MVP

He averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists and was a unanimous selection to the first-team All-NBA and All-Defensive first team.

Published : Jun 25, 2019 11:01 IST

You can add MVP to the list of Giannis Antetokounmpo's accomplishments.

The star took home his first-ever Most Valuable Player award Monday at the NBA awards ceremony.

Antetokounmpo, who finished his sixth season with the Bucks, was a favorite heading into the night, along with 2017-18 recipient James Harden. 

He became the youngest winner since Derrick Rose in 2010-11.

The 24-year-old forward made a strong case for himself when he helped Milwaukee to the NBA's best record at 60-22. His efforts — 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game — were enough to beat out Harden for the hardware.

Harden, who has now been an MVP runner up three times in his career, netted a league-high 36.1 points per game for the second-most in one season in modern NBA history — behind only Michael Jordan, who averaged 37.1 in 1986-87.

The Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs when they fell to the Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

"We'll be back stronger and better," Antetokounmpo wrote on Instagram after the loss. "Milwaukee thank you for supporting my teammates and I this entire season we couldn't have done it without you all!"

Antetokounmpo was unanimous selected to the All-NBA and All-Defensive first team.